Teacher-Paraprofessional Collaboration in Special Education

Teacher-Paraprofessional Collaboration in Special Education Effective collaboration between teachers and paraprofessionals is an important factor when working with students with special needs as it leads to more extensive and effective support, improving both academic achievement and personal development of students. Cipriano, Barnes, Bertoli, Flynn, & Rivers (2016) studied the overall quality and nature of collaboration through the interactions between teachers and paraprofessionals in multiple self-contained classrooms during academic and planning times. They found the foundation for effective collaboration is in mutual respect, shared responsibilities and ongoing feedback. In addition, Irvin, Ingram, Huffman, Mason, & Wills (2018) highlighted a variety of classroom factors and expectations, such as creating strong professional relationships, using collaborative strategies, and providing training and support to both teachers and professionals, that can brace the foundation and result in student success. As former paraprofessionals and current special education teachers the literature rang true. For our capstone project, we created a handbook based on our experiences and combined it with information from our research. At the beginning of each academic year paraprofessionals will receive a digital copy of the handbook to allow them to access the provided links to resources, professional development, and district information according to the building they work.